FAQs

Construction Skills Queensland is an independent, not-for-profit, industry-funded body which supports workers, apprentices, trainees, employers, and career seekers in the building and construction industry.

We do this by:

• subsidising training for tradies, workers and small and large businesses to help them build their careers and capability
• promoting careers in construction and supporting pathways into the industry
• working with industry partners to help keep talented people in the industry
• providing thought leadership to the industry around skills, training, industry trends, major projects, and employment data.

CSQ receives funding from an industry training levy in order to fund training costs for:

• job seekers
• current workers
• those in between jobs/contracts (within 6 months)
• those looking to re-enter the industry (within 6 months)

CSQ is funded by a statutory training levy established under the Building and Construction Industry Act 1991. The levy is charged on Queensland construction projects worth greater than $150,000, where CSQ receives 0.1% of the cost of the construction project that we use to fund training and skilling costs.

CSQ’s funded training falls under three programs: Short courses, Higher Qualifications program and SAGT

Short courses are for workers wanting to update their skills and knowledge, meet compliance requirements, get a licence or get new skills. The Short Courses funding assists with upskilling and cross skilling workers in the building and construction industry.

The Higher Qualifications program is for when you’re keen to move into a higher-level role in general or civil construction. The Higher Qualifications program provides nationally accredited qualifications ranging from a Certificate IV up to an Advanced Diploma level.

Our SAGT program can help turn your experience into a formal qualification. If you are working in the industry — or looking to re-enter — but don’t hold a formal qualification, SAGT can connect you to training and assessment services to identify the skills you already have, and provide the gap training you need to attain a nationally recognised Certificate III level qualification.

Who can help me if I have questions about programs and courses?

Our Customer Service team are here to help. For more information please contact us.

CSQ provides funding for training current workers and career seekers in the building and construction industry. The courses are not free, but CSQ will help to fund the costs with an aim to cover 75% of the total cost of Short Courses, Higher Qualifications, and Skills Assessment and Gap Training (SAGT). CSQ does not control what an RTO charges for a course, but CSQ’s funding contribution is consistent across all RTOs.

The amount of money contributed varies depending on the course and the RTO, but CSQ’s funding contribution is consistent across all RTOs with an aim to cover 75% of the total costs. For a full list of courses, please visit our Course Selector.

Our SAGT program can help turn your experience into a formal qualification. If you are working in the industry — or looking to re-enter — but don’t hold a formal qualification, SAGT can connect you to training and assessment services to identify the skills you already have, and provide the gap training you need to attain a nationally recognised Certificate III level qualification.

CSQ funding is available for:

• those working in the industry
• those looking for work in the industry
• construction workers who have been unemployed for less than six months

There is no age limit on eligibility for our funding.

We are not a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) and do not run the courses ourselves. We work with select RTOs throughout Queensland who provide training and upskilling. Visit our Course Selector to check what courses are offered and connect with our RTO partners.

All available CSQ-funded courses can be found by using our Course Selector.

If you’d like to complete CSQ-funded training, the steps to follow are:

1. Jump on our course selector to view the full list of courses and qualifications which are eligible for CSQ funding.
2. Select one of the RTOs identified at the bottom of the course page. You can filter the list of RTOs by region to help you find an RTO close to you.
3. Contact the RTO directly to express your interest in the course and to determine your eligibility for CSQ funding. Each RTO will determine your eligibility and advise their price for the courses and qualifications available.

If you are eligible to receive CSQ funding for your course, funding will be delivered directly to the RTO and you will be responsible for any additional fee charged by the RTO that is not covered by CSQ funding. As the price charged by each RTO and their method of delivering training can vary, you may wish to shop around before choosing an RTO and enrolling.

Click here for more general info.

CSQ has regional engagement managers operating across Queensland. You can find the representative in your area here.

CSQ’s Training Plan details CSQ’s funding priorities for skills investment and service delivery for the funding year (October-September).

View current and past Training Plans.

The programs and services in the Training Plan are shaped by extensive and ongoing consultation with industry and associated stakeholders together with an evaluation of CSQ’s programs and service delivery, forecast activity in the sector and workforce supply. To get involved please contact us.

CSQ analyses industry trends and conducts extensive research into the building and construction industry in Queensland. Various industry publications, dashboards and data chartpacks are available in our Knowledge Centre.

CSQ is funded by a statutory training levy established under the Building and Construction Industry Act 1991. The levy is charged on all Queensland construction projects worth more than $150,000 and equates to 0.1% of the cost of the project.

There are dozens of different careers in construction and CSQ has a variety of resources to help you find the right career.

View career profiles.

Find a list of available careers in construction here.

The best places to find information about becoming an apprentice are the Australian Apprenticeships Pathways and the Australian Apprenticeships.

While CSQ doesn’t provide financial assistance to apprentices and trainees, the Queensland Government has a range of assistance available including Youth Allowance / Austudy / ABSTUDY, financial support and loans plus living away from home allowance. Apprentices and trainees can access our Short Courses programs and 3rd and 4th year apprentices can also access Higher Qualifications.

Click here for more information for School Students and Career Seekers.

The procurement of RTO services is managed through a competitive purchasing strategy, based on an annual invitation-to-offer process. All RTOs wanting to do business with CSQ must apply online to receive Registered Training Supplier (RTS) status.

For further information, please contact the Contract Management team.

Ready for Work Kits are supplied by CSQ to RTOs delivering CSQ’s Pre-Apprenticeship and Major Projects pre-employment programs. Each kit contains Personal Protective Equipment and access to an online e-book, required for recording the Structure Workplace Learning component.

For more information regarding RTO’s click here.

For all media enquiries, please contact Sue McCosker on 0400 830 509 or via [email protected].

For all event, sponsorship and partnership enquiries, please contact Shaun Sandilands on 0403 143 955 or via [email protected].

For all other enquiries, click here.